Monthly Archives: December 2009

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KLRU has been selected to participate in on a pilot program for students around the country to create their own NewsHour Reports and share them on NewsHour Extra (the student and teacher web site of the PBS NewsHour). The program, called Student Reporting Labs, teams up individual classrooms with local area journalists, and the national NewsHour Team. Other cities selected to participate include have Washington, DC, Philadelphia, PA, Salt Lake City, UT, Slidell, LA and Middletown, CT.

KLRU partnered with KUT (90.5 FM) and their reporter Erika Aguilar on the project to mentor the students from Academy for Global Studies and the Media Lab at Austin High School. Each term, students will work on a different story: first term the focus is Supreme Court, second term the focus is climate and the third term they can pitch any topic they want. The completed stories will be shared on NewsHour Extra. Here is the first video from the Austin students Catalina Lizarraga, Matt Azarmehr, Kelly Schaefer, Elena Bernal Lee Mendez, Nick Newman, Lea Jackson, Karem Miramontes, Reece Ousey and Roy Rayos.

Chet Garner host ofThe Austin Daytripper will be at the REI in Round Rock on Saturday, Dec. 12, to talk about cool day trips in and around Central Texas. He’ll also be listing his top 10 mandatory day trips around Austin. The REI is located at 201 University Oaks Blvd, Suite 1100

Find out how being born in the wild has evolved over time, and how animals interacting with their young, wrestling with the feelings and dilemmas that come with raising a baby, can mirror our own experiences Sunday at 7 p.m. on Nature.

Ken Burns’ The Civil War at 8:30 p.m. Sunday chronicles key battles in the war.

Anatomy of a Pandemic carefully examines the major issues surrounding the current H1N1 flu outbreak, and what the U.S. and other world governments should do to become better prepared to combat any widespread health emergency Monday at 8 p.m.

This encore Secrets of the Dead episode follows scientists who have been seeking to learn where the 1918 flu virus came from and what made it so deadly 9 p.m. Monday.

Highlighting the top performances from the LIVE 2008 Holiday Celebration at the Music Center of Los Angeles, L.A. Holiday Celebration 2009 reflects the cultural mosaic of Los Angeles as African, Asian, European and Latino performers join to express the joy of the season 10 p.m. Monday.

For the first time on television, Nova exposes the hidden world of high-tech, 21st-century eavesdropping carried out by the National Security Agency (NSA) 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Frontline presents the epic story of the rise of Christianity, exploring new evidence suggesting that Jesus’ followers, because of their diversity and the differences in their cultures and languages, looked at and interpreted Jesus and his teachings in many different ways 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Get in the mood for the upcoming holiday season Tuesday at 10 p.m. on National Christmas Tree Lighting 2009.

Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell joins the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for a magnificent Christmas With the Mormon Tabernacle celebration featuring some of the season’s most beloved songs 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Great Performances at the Met at 8 p.m. Wednesday presents “Tosca.” The Tosca opera tells the story of three people-a famous opera singer, a free-thinking painter, and a sadistic chief of police-caught in a net of love and politics Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Col. Buzz Aldrin discusses his scientific contributions to space exploration on Texas Monthly Talks 7 p.m. Thursday, which include docking and rendezvous technology for spacecraft, innovation in underwater training for astronauts, and a master plan for missions to Mars.

Discover how Austin’s music venues and bands thrive in the new music model and why people travel across the globe to meet some of Lady Bird Lake’s most treasured residents – Carp! on Downtown Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Jerusalem is arguably one of the most fascinating and complicated cities in the world. Stroll through the holiest sites of Judaism, Christianity and Islam 8 p.m. Thursday on Jerusalem: Center of the World.

Indie rock stars, The Decemberists, showcase their latest album and its distinctive storytelling prog-pop on their Austin City Limits debut. Next, instrumental quartet, Explosions in the Sky, affirms its power as a live act with tunes from its newest disk Friday at 9 p.m.

Austin City Limits at 7 p.m. Saturday features Kings Of Leon and Roky Erickson. Nashville band of brothers Kings of Leon rocks the ACL studio in support of its latest record Because of the Times. Psychedelic innovator Roky Erickson demonstrates why he’s a Texas rock & roll legend with songs from the length and breadth of his 40-year career.

Second Life is an online phenomenon – a virtual world that has millions of people around the globe living out their fantasy lives on the Internet. Ideal World illuminates this online community by utilizing video from the game, along with interviewing players and developers 10 p.m. Saturday.

Join Evan Smith and KLRU’s Texas Monthly Talks for a conversation with Michael Williams, who holds a seat on the Railroad Commission of Texas, on December 17 at 12:15 p.m. One year ago, Williams announced his plan to run for a seat in the United States Senate. His hope is to take Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s place in a special election if she leaves Washington but he’s also widely considered to be a likely appointee to fill a vacancy until an election can be held. Williams is a staunch conservative who would become the lone African-American Republican in the Senate, and he’s gained attention nationwide. Join us to learn more about the candidate and his views.

Our December Fundraising Drive is off to a strong start, but this is a crucial weekend, and you can help take us over the top. In the past 7 days, KLRU has raised $105,848 towards our December goal of $230,000. Only 10 days remain to shore up funding for the PBS programs you depend on and services that go Beyond TV to enrich the lives of our entire community.

With your support, KLRU will continue to provide you trusted news with THE PBS NEWSHOUR, FRONTLINE and TEXAS MONTHLY TALKS; engaging education with NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and NATURE; and entertainment that enriches your life with GREAT PERFORMANCES, MASTERPIECE and AUSTIN CITY LIMITS.

We’ll also bring you experiences that push beyond the boundaries of TV with education initiatives like READY TO LEARN and TEACHERLINE and community forums that spark debate like the KLRU COMMUNITY SCREENING SERIES and the KLRU COMMUNITY TOWNHALL SERIES.
Thank you for supporting and watching KLRU. Together we will turn your support into television and services that help everyone in Central Texas explore both their community and world.

In 1980, Frank Sinatra performed a two-week engagement at Carnegie Hall, which at the time, set a record for the venue by selling out each show in just one day. See these performances on Sinatra at Carnegie Hall Sunday at 7 p.m., Thursday at 7 p.m., and Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

David Foster joins Andrea Bocelli for a new Christmas concert of holiday classics as they share the stage to present an elegant collection of seasonal favorites on Great Performances, Sunday at 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Friday.

Leonard Cohen has been one of the most important and influential songwriters of our time whose songs have set a virtually unmatched standard in their seriousness and range. See Leonard Cohen Live in London at 10:30 p.m. Sunday and Thursday to experience his overwhelmingly emotional crooning for yourself.

American families create unforgettable memories 7 p.m. Monday on National Parks: America’s Best Idea, passing on a love of the parks to the next generation.

Love Me Tender – The Love Songs of Elvis tells the warm story of the tender side of the King of Rock and Roll 10 p.m. Monday.

See what happens when London cab drivers begin to learn “the Knowledge,” the ability of the brain to interface with mechanical and electronic instruments on Brain Fitness Frontiers 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame Live features rare, one-of-a-kind performances from the induction ceremonies of the Rock Hall of Fame at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Grammy-winning rock legend John Fogerty will star on the Emmy Award-winning live music series, Live by Request—the only television program where viewers actually create the artist’s set list and have the chance to personally talk to their music idol at 10 p.m. Tuesday and 7 p.m. Saturday.

In 1978, acclaimed musician Jeff Wayne composed and produced the best-selling concept album The Musical Version of the War of the Worlds. See his spectacular mix of music, theatre, multimedia and visual arts on War of the Worlds Live at 11 p.m. Friday.

Get a vivid and intimate look at how seven diverse cultures celebrate Christmas. From England to Norway, Burgundy to Bavaria, and Rome to the top of the Swiss Alps, Rick Steves’ European Christmas lets you experience traditional European Christmas like never before at 11 p.m. Saturday.

Collision is an action packed drama about how people’s lives become connected after a multi-vehicle highway accident. The story unfolds with the accident in the beginning and then goes back to take a look atthe lives of those involved. Each time they flashback to a different character you learn a little bit more about what was going on in their lives before the accident. With an element of mystery and intrigue the directors keep you wanting to know more and guessing about what really lead up to the accident.

I thoroughly enjoyed the episodes I watched and am looking forward to finding our more about the characters and their lives.

— Allison Laymon

About the reviewer: Allison Laymon has been with KLRU in the Accounting Department for five years. When she is not crunching numbers, she enjoys spending time with her family and remembers watching Masterpiece Theatre “Upstairs Downstairs” with her parents many moons ago. She hopes to instill the love of watching public television with her kids for many years to come.

Volunteers needed to answer phones for our membership drive on 12/7 during Ken Burns: The National Parks – America’s Best Idea. By volunteering to answer phones during the live on-air nights of our fundraising drive you will get a behind-the-scenes look at our studio, meet our staff, appear on TV, and help support the great programming you welcome into your home. Dinner will be provided by one of our local business supporters. This is a great opportunity for you to participate in your PBS station. Volunteers will be needed between 5:30 and 9:30 p.m. Sign up for one of the volunteer spots at here

PBS KIDS GO! invites early elementary school kids to join the hilarious animated adventures of Professor Fizzy and friends in FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB at PBSKIDSGO.org/lunchlab as they prepare tasty snacks, investigate the difference between good and bad food, and learn what happens once the food you eat goes into your body. Funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the immersive, comprehensive FIZZY’s LUNCH LAB experience features funny characters in a variety of short video segments and interactive games and is designed to bring kids and parents together to help plan meals, make snacks, and team up to make healthier eating choices for the entire family. The site will also feature extensive resources on PBS Parents and PBS Teachers to further the learning.

CBS News Correspondent Hari Sreenivasan is joining the staff of the PBS NewsHour and will play a key role in bridging its broadcast and digital platforms when it succeeds The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on Monday, December 7th. He will report and anchor video news updates throughout the day on the PBS NewsHour’s website. He’ll also appear nightly on the PBS NewsHour itself, anchoring a summary of the day’s headlines from the broadcast’s newsroom.more →